SEBASTIAN, Fla. – A person using a metal detector found human bone fragments Sunday evening, and now authorities are trying to determine where the bones came from and how old they are, according to the Sebastian Police Department.
Police said a person using a metal detector on a vacant field along U.S. Route 1 at about 6 p.m. found the bone fragments and some other items and brought them to the Sebastian police station. The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the bones came from a human.
The field where the bones were found belongs to the city of Sebastian and is currently under construction as part of an expansion to the adjacent city of Sebastian cemetery, according to a news release.
“At this time, we do not have any idea whether the bones are very old or recent or a manner of death,” Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris said. “It will likely take some time before we have any details on what we have. It is not likely that the remains are from the cemetery, based on the location of the discovery, even though it is adjacent to the cemetery.”
Officials said that searches are being conducted in the area.
Anyone with information about the bones is asked to call Detective Todd Finnegan at 772-589-5233 ext. 8521 or call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-8477.